Soil food web models are a powerful tool for calculating the carbon and nitrogen mineralized by different soil organisms. Two limitations of the current models are that they use (1) fixed parameters for determining the relative efficiency of carbon and nitrogen conversion and (2) a generic set of trophic species (i.e. nodes). We propose a new method for analyzing soil food webs that varies production

1. Paedomorphosis, a developmental heterochrony involving the retention of larval traits at the adult stage, is considered a major evolutionary process because it can generate phenotypic variation without requiring genetic modifications. Two main processes underlie paedomorphosis: neoteny, a slowdown of somatic development, and progenesis, a precocious maturation associated to body size reduction.

Many ectotherms modify their phenotype seasonally as a response to variation in abiotic factors. Given the potential of seasonal acclimation to reduce the impact of climate change on the dynamics of ectotherm populations, the adaptive evolution of this reversible plasticity has received much attention. Nevertheless, the key assumption of selection on the magnitude of seasonal acclimation, consistent

Silicon (Si) is known to alleviate diverse biotic and abiotic stresses including insect herbivory. Si accumulation in plants, notably the Poaceae, can be induced through stimulation of the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway (associated with chewing herbivores). Nevertheless, the temporal dynamics of Si accumulation as a defence response and its consequential effects on carbon‐based defences (e.g. phenolics)

Insect‐mediated pollination is fundamental for terrestrial ecosystems as well as for crop production. However, bee populations are declining as a consequence of different global change pressures. Even though these pressures do not act in isolation, their interactive effects have received less attention.

Although environmental variability and predictability have been proposed as the underlying ecological context in which transgenerational plasticity (TGP) arises, the adaptive significance and interaction with within‐generation plasticity (WGP) in such scenarios is still poorly understood. In order to investigate these questions, we considered the tolerance to upper thermal limits of larvae and adults

Nitrogen (N) deposition can enhance carbon (C) capture and storage in northern coniferous forests but it may also enhance the demand for phosphorus (P). While it is well established that long‐term N enrichment can decrease decomposition and enhance the accumulation of C in soils, it remains uncertain if a higher demand and acquisition of P influence soil C. We studied microbial phosphorus mobilization

The role of biotic interactions in shaping species distributions is a cornerstone of biogeographic theory; yet, it remains elusive. Such interactions are more likely to have an influence on organisms with obligate associations, such as hosts and their parasites. Whereas abiotic conditions may affect the abundance and distribution of parasites in ways similar to free‐living species, attributes of the

Associational resistance theory predicts that insect herbivory decreases with increasing tree diversity in forest ecosystems. However, the generality of this effect and its underlying mechanisms are still debated, particularly since evidence has accumulated that climate may influence the direction and strength of the relationship between diversity and herbivory. We quantified insect leaf herbivory

Functional trait variation within individual plants is predicted to have important ecological consequences. However, our understanding of the sources contributing to subindividual trait heterogeneity, and the ramifications thereof, is poor. In a common garden, we sampled multiple genotypes of mature trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) at different vertical crown levels and quantified the contributions

1. Understanding the link between ecology and morphology is a fundamental goal in biology. Ants are diverse terrestrial organisms, known to exhibit ecologically‐driven morphological variation. While relationships between individual traits and ecologies have been identified, multidimensional interactions among traits and their cumulative predictive power remain unknown. Because selective pressures may

Climate change is known to disrupt aboveground food chains when the various trophic layers respond differently to warming. However, little is known about belowground food chains involving microbial preys and their predators. Here, we study how climate warming‐ induced heat shocks influence resistance (change immediately after a disturbance) and resilience (ability to recover back to pre‐disturbance

Metabolic costs associated with parasites should not be limited to established infections. Even during initial exposure to questing and attacking parasites, hosts can enact behavioural and physiological responses that could also incur metabolic costs. However, few studies have measured these costs directly. Hence, little is known about metabolic costs arising from parasite exposure. Further, no one

Altered species composition caused by environmental and climatic change can affect the transfer of plant residues among communities. Whereas transferred residues are typically considered a resource in recipient systems, residues of allelopathic species may instead cause interference. Evergreen dwarf shrubs, specifically the allelopathic species Empetrum nigrum are increasing in abundance in response

Community diversity controls ecosystem function, but the supply and replacement of that diversity is ultimately controlled by evolution. Integrating community processes with evolutionary opportunity is therefore central to understanding the future of biodiversity in a changing world. Losos (1996) pointed this out over two decades ago when he showed that we cannot infer mechanisms of community assembly

Some plants respond to both neighbours and nutrient levels below‐ground independently, while others respond only to nutrients. These responses have important ecological implications, but debate about the appropriate control treatments used in experiments has led many to debate results. When plants ignore neighbours, and only respond to nutrient levels this is sometimes called an ideal‐free distribution

In Jäschke, Heberling, and Wesche (2020), the authors identified an error in Figure 3 after publication. The authors have determined that Figures 3(d) functional richness and 3(e) functional divergence were wrongly plotted due to a small error in the R‐code. The authors regret this error. This error does not affect the figure caption or the main text of the article. The corrected figure is reproduced

Bird migration has always been fascinating. Where do birds go in winter? How fast do they travel? Do they fly non‐stop or break their journeys into segments? And what can possibly favour travelling thousands of kilometres to stay 6 weeks at high latitude to raise offspring and then return to the tropics for the rest of the year? Many of these questions were unanswerable until recently when we entered

Pruitt, J. N., Cote, J., & Ferrari, M. C. O. (2012). Behavioural trait variants in a habitat‐forming species dictate the nature of its interactions with and among heterospecifics. Functional Ecology, 26, 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01922.x Concerns have been raised about the validity of the data underlying Pruitt, Cote, and Ferrari (2012). These concerns are currently being evaluated

Pruitt, J. N. and Husak, J. F. (2010). Context‐dependent running speed in funnel‐web spiders from divergent populations. Functional Ecology, 24, 165–171. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01623.x Concerns have been raised about the validity of the data underlying Pruitt and Husak (2010). These concerns are currently being evaluated by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the institution at

Pruitt, J. N. (2010). Differential selection on sprint speed and ad libitum feeding behaviour in active vs. sit‐and‐wait foraging spiders. Functional Ecology, 24, 392–399. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01655.x Concerns have been raised about the validity of the data underlying Pruitt (2010). These concerns are currently being evaluated by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the institution